Monday, May 24, 2010

Business as usual?

Despite moratorium, drilling projects continue

Records show at least 7 new permits for drilling, 5 environmental waivers

By Ian Urbina

WASHINGTON - In the days since President Obama announced a moratorium on permits for drilling new offshore oil wells and a halt to a controversial type of environmental waiver that was given to the Deepwater Horizon rig, at least seven new permits for various types of drilling and five environmental waivers have been granted, according to records.

The records also indicate that since the April 20 explosion on the rig, federal regulators have granted at least 19 environmental waivers for gulf drilling projects and at least 17 drilling permits, most of which were for types of work like that on the Deepwater Horizon shortly before it exploded, pouring a ceaseless current of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Click here to read the full article.
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There really should be a total moratorium on waivers and permits for oil rigs @ this juncture.

We have the largest oil rig disaster in US history & the government is not able to shut it down enough to learn a lesson & review policies & procedures?

They may as well join the ranks of the mindless Drill Baby Drill crowd, because they can't give up the big oil fix?

Furthermore, they need to make BP understand they have been given ORDERS by the EPA to cease & desist with the chemical dispersant.

6 comments:

Somehow I thought these new permits were only being issued for wells that had already been approved prior to the explosion and would only be prohibited if the wells were of the type that posed the same deepwater danger. But no, per your link:

"At least six of the drilling projects that have been given waivers in the past four weeks are for waters that are deeper — and therefore more difficult and dangerous — than where Deepwater Horizon was operating. While that rig, which was drilling at a depth just shy of 5,000 feet, was classified as a deep-water operation, many of the wells in the six projects are classified as “ultra” deep water, including four new wells at over 9,100 feet."

That is unacceptable! If we are finding 5000-ft to be this hard to cap off, can you imagine the crushing depth of 9000-ft?

I've been worried about Salazar since he was first named for Interior. He's always been a big western energy guy of the bluedog variety.

DK ~ Who the hell is in charge here? Salazar has really had his Brownie moment here. Heck-of-a-job Salazar!What is it we keep hearing?

Whatever fix they scheme up, is prefaced with "It's never been done before at this depth"That would be @ 5,000 feet-- So their "solution" is to approve six projects that are classified as “ultra” deep water, including four new wells at over 9,100 feet."

It sounds like they have been whiffing the toxic fumes too much. This plan makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

I'm pissed!

Christopher- I noticed that "live footage" is a rerun. They like the fact this is in the deep murky depths, because they can more easily cover it up- this notion they don;t know how much is spewing is hard to believe. Plus it is in their best interest re liability.

Nonnie~ Yes! Clean house. What we have is Minerals Mismanagement. Gross mismanagement.

Christopher~ In BP we trust? We're screwed!Clearly the only thing BP has proven is they have not a clue on how to manage this disaster.

The EPA ordered them to stop spraying the chemical dispersant & they refused-- so now the EPA gave them a stern warning to "cut back"???

This is crazy!

Basic common sense is not at play here. I can;t imagine how BP can be entrusted, and frankly Halliburton just slithered away, when it is pretty clear they literally had a hand in creating the disaster.

At this point the priority should be to not do additional harm . No more chemical dispersant.

I just saw a bunch of coverage on it... the numbers of sea life deaths, and a grim reality check that the relief well might not be functional until August?

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